The Fire Bearer 2: Separating Souls
by SARXII
Summary: Kagome died in the final battle with Naraku. Her Phoenix magic has finally brought her back, after 10 years of resting. But, what if it went wrong? What if it brought someone else back with her? Sequal to The Fire Bearer. Surprise pairing.
1. Prologue

The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls

kagomes-wanna-be

PROLOGUE

Naraku was dead, Kagome was dead, and the Sacred Jewel was only half completed. They didn't know what to do, and stayed in a fog for a long time after the final battle. They burned Naraku's body, burrying his ashes in a sealed vase inside a shrine they built to hold in his evil spirit. They gathered Kagome's ashes, giving her her own shrine next to the one the Sacred Jewel had been kept in when Kikyo was still alive. Inscents were always burning inside and around her shrine, and the villagers always placed fresh flowers in front of it. They frequently stopped by the shrine during the day, praying for their lost friend and protector.

Shippo cried for days when he saw them return with her ashes, they never even had to tell him the exact story. Though, he did ask Sesshomaru why he didn't try and revive her. He told him that it had been too late, that nothing would have saved her because her body had already been destroyed by the flames.

Miroku, however, informed them that he shouldn't have tried anyway. InuYasha and Shippo got very mad about this, accusing him of not caring for Kagome. Finally, he got them calmed down enough to listen to what he had to say.

Kagome was a Fire Bearer, he explained to them, but she was more then that. She was a Phoenix demon, and that's why she had been able to transform. That's where she got her powers from, from being such a powerful demon. The phoenix demon tribe had died out thousands of years ago, for one reason or another, not leaving a single one. Something terrible had happened, something with strong magic to keep them from rising again, as phoenixs were supposed to.

Phoenix magic does not allow a phoenix to die, simply rest before being reborn again from its ashes. So, if Sesshomaru had in fact been able to bring her back, they simply would have been speeding up a process that would have occurred naturally. The only problem was thatMiroku couldn't tell them exactly how long it would take for her to be brought back. It could take a month, a year, 100 years. He just didn't know.

The others decided to stay close to the village, just incase she was brought back relatively soon. So they stayed, and they waited. They waited for days, then weeks, then months, and even years. Could Miroku have been wrong? Could something have gone wrong? What could go wrong? There question was answered exactly 10 years later...


	2. Chapter 1

**AN:** And it begins...

The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter 1- Awakening

The room was pure white. So different from the black she had become accustomed to while sleeping. Why wasn't she sleeping? Why did they wake her up? Maybe it was a mistake, maybe she could go back to sleep... Something jolted her awake as soon as she had her eyes closed. Something kept her awake. Something didn't want her to sleep...

-------

"Kyoko get back here!" Sango screamed as she chased her naked son through the village.

"Can't catch me Mommy!" the brown haired, violet eyed 4 year oldyelled as he ran from his mother.

"Got ya!" somebody yelled as two hands grabbed him, wrapping a towel over his wet body and lifting him up. He gasped and looked up, but sighed lightly as he saw the familiar face of his father. His face burst into laughter however as he started to tickle him.

"Daddy!" Kyoko screamed through laghter. "Stop it!"

"Promise to stop running away from your mother and I will!" Miroku yelled as he continued to tickle his son.

"O-o-ok!" he cried as he kicked and swatted at his father's hands. "I promise!"

Miroku smiled and stopped tickling his son, letting him back down onto the ground as Sango walked up to them. She kneeld down and wrapped the towel tighter around him and ran her hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. "Why don't you go see if your aunt can't get you dressed, ok?" she asked.

He opened his mouth, showing his gap-toothed smile. "Ok Mommy!" he said before taking off down the road towards a hut at the very end boundries of the village.

Miroku chuckled lightly as he shook his head at his son. Sango smiled and stood up, wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing him lightly. "Good morning."

"Mmmmm... good morning indeeed," he smiled, kissing her again.

"Ugh... how about you two get a room?" a gruff voice called from overhead in the trees.

Miroku sighed lightly, huffing as he pulled back from Sango, not even bothering to look up. "Or how about you stop walking in on peoples moments, InuYasha?" he asked, smirking lightly.

InuYasha snorted and jumped down from the trees next to them, his arms crossed. "But what's the fun in that?"

Miroku looked up at him, glaring half-heartedly before softening up lightly. "Good to see you friend." He held out his hand towards InuYasha.

He gladly took it, shaking it and smiled lightly. "Same to you," he said.

"Ehem," somebody cleared their throats behind him and they turned to see a rather annoyed looking Sesshomaru, holding Kyoko by the neck of his shirt. "Perhaps you should teach your son that it is not proper to... walk in on people," he said, dropping Kyoko onto the ground. He quickly got up and scurried behind his parents to hide.

"He didn't..." Sango started, her eyes widening a little bit. She didn't finish though as an embarressed and angry Rin walked up behind Sesshomaru. She clasped one hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughing from them. InuYasha however, didn't even bother to hide his laughter.

Sesshomaru glared at him as he practically rolled on the ground with laughter. Miroky, seeing Sesshomaru's glare, laughed a bit nervously and slapped InuYasha up the side of the head to shut him up. "We're really sorry Sesshomaru," he said, still laughing nervously. "It'll never happen again, will it, Kyoko?" he asked, looking back at his son as he hid behind them.

"No!" he squeaked lightly, jumping from his fathers look. He looked forward and squeaked again as he saw Sesshomaru's look. "Sorry!" he yelled before turning and taking off towards his family's hut.

They stood there for a while in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Miroku turned back to InuYasha, and in a lame attempt to lighten the mood said, "So, InuYasha, I see that your back."

"Umm.. yeah..." he started. "I just figured that I might come to see if anything's happened," he said, looking up at the shrine.

"Oh.. you mean..." Sango said as they all looked up at it.

"Yeah."

"No, I'm sorry, but nothing's happened," Miroku told him as Sesshomaru and Rin walked up to them.

"You know what today is, right?" he asked as he looked back at them.

"10 years," Sango said. "We know."

"Do you think..." he started, not able to finish as his eyes turned back up towards the shrine, a few viligers pausing to pray in front of it.

"We don't know," Sesshomaru said, sighing lightly as he put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We just don't know."

-------

This room was too white, she decided. It was too white, too bright, and too sharp. She just wanted to sleep again. She missed sleeping, and she was so sleepy... Again, her eyes closed and again, something jolted her awake.

"Ughhh..." she groaned lightly as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the blurriness. Where was she anyway? Why was she hear? She didn't understand she couldn't close her eyes. She was tired damnit!

A blinding flash filled the room and she put her arms over her eyes to protect them from the light. She groaned again as she took her arm back down, blinking away the spots in her vision. Looking around, everything looked exactly the same, white white white. Except for one thing. In front of her stood a mirror, or, what she thought to be a mirror. When she looked at the reflection, she stood there(or, at least, what she assumed to be her), but the background wasn't white. It looked like the inside of a some sort of room with wallscrolls and inscents all over the place.

She slowly, cautiously took a step towards the "mirror", holding her hand out to it. If only she could touch it... maybe then she would go back to sleep...

"Who are you?" a voice boomed, echoing all over the room. She gasped, jumping back in fear and suprise. She looked around, searching all over, watching over her shoulder to see who said that. But she didn't see anyone. "Who are you?" the voice asked again.

"Who are you?" shemocked backat it,putting her hands on her hips as she stood there.

"That is not an answer," the voice, indistinguishable between male or female, said. "Who are you?"

She opened her mouth to say something to it, before closing it. She stood there, a confused look on her face like a little kid trying to figure something out. She opened her mouth again, but only ended up closing it again. Finally, she answered. "I... I don't know..."

"Why are you here?" the room, as she now decided the room was talking to her, said.

She stood there for another moment, the same look on her face. "I don't know that either," she said, her voice starting to quiver.

"How long have you been here?" the room continue to ask its questions, making her feel stupid.

"I don't know!" she screamed at it, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. "I... I-I don't know anything!"

"Why not?"

"I don't know!" she yelled, dropping to the floor on her hands and knees. "I don't know! I don't know anything! I just want to sleep, let me go back to sleep!" She took her hand, lifting it high before slamming it onto the ground, hitting it over and over.

"You might hurt yourself," it told her, its voice as flat and melancholy as ever.

"I don't care!" she cried out again and again. She lifted her hand one more time, but when she slammed it down, something amazing happened. Fire appeared around her hand, and then around the other as well. Slowly she sat back on her heels, lifting her hand to her face to look at the fire in amazement. She turned her hand over, looking at the back then the front. The fire didn't burn her, she could hardly feel it besides a slow tingling.

She screamed, her body being forced back onto the ground as she began to cry, waves of memories, thoughts, and feelings washing over her in a sudden clash. Her body writhed in pain, her hands clawing at the ground and heels digging into it, her legs kicking and back arching. Tears sprang from her eyes as her head slashed viciously from side to side, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in pain. Then, she stopped. She stopped moving, she stopped screaming, but she didn't stop crying. Silent tears still falling down her face.

Slowly, her eyes opened, red and puffy from her episode. She layed there, more exhausted then she ever had been. Now she really wanted to go to sleep, but she couldn't. Her mind was too sharp, and everything was finally clear. She lifted her arms, her trembling hands above her face as she looked them over. She turned them over, looking at the back, looking at the front. They were differentnow... they were hers again.Slowly, she sat up, looking into the mirror with her lips hanging open, her face tear streaked, hair clinging to her neck and cheeks.

"Who are you?" the room's voice came again, but this time she answered.

"I am the Fire Bearer," she answered it, her eyes half-closed.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I died," she answered it quickly.

"Why did you die?"

The question struck a chord in her, jerking her heart in her chest. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling with the rest of her. It was suddenly very cold in here. "Because... because I had to... to save them... all of them..." she answered, closing her eyes as more tears flowed from them, dripping off her chin or getting caught in her hair.

"Open your eyes," the room demanded, not threateningly, but still strongly.

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head.

"Open your eyes," the room persisted.

Slowly, she did as it said, her eyes opening and looking into the mirror. She sat on the floor in the reflection, huddled and crying, looking absolutely helpless. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying to stop the trembling, and regain some of her compsure.

After a moment, she stood up, her legs trembling beneath her and again, and started to walk towards the mirror. She looked over the room. The same wallscrolls hung on the walls, the same inscents burned as before, but she saw it differently now. It was a shrine, she realized. Why was she in a shrine?

The room had been quiet for a while and she looked around, wondering if it was going to say anything. After a moment of just standing there, she decided to ask the room some questions. "Why am I here?" she asked it, her voice cracking. The room didn't answer and she growled lightly in frustration. "Why are I here?" she asked it, her voice louder and stronger.

"To return," it said simply.

"Re... return?" she repeated what it said quietly, her eyes still stuck on the mirror. "You mean... to the living?"

"Yes."

She closed her eyes again, fighting back tears as her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "What..." she started, but paused as her voice cracked. "What if I don't want to go back?" she asked, a sob breaking through with her last word. "What if I just want to sleep, and stay here? I don't want to go back..."

"Open your eyes," the room insisted, but she just shook her head, keep her eyes tightly shut. "Open your eyes," it insisted again.

"No..."

"Now!" she room yelled at her, making her scream and jump, her eyes widening as she looked around. The room had never had any emotion in its voice, and now it was screaming at her. She didn't understand. "Your time is now Fire Bearer, you must return to the living. You were meant to be with the living."

"NO!" she screamed, but it was futile as a force started pulling her towards the mirror. She screamed, struggling against the force, but it didn't let her go. "Let me go! I don't want to go back!"

"You must Fire Bearer, it is your time to live..." the voice faded until there was no noise but the sound of her screaming, fighting to break free.

Her fingers brushed against the surface of ther mirror, and it rippled out like water. Her eyes widened. It wasn't a mirror, it was a portal. This is what would send her back, back to the living, and back to all the pain and heartache and confusion. "No! No I'm not the Fire Bearer! I don't want to be the Fire Bearer! I'm Kagome! KAGOME!"

**AN:** And so, it has begun...


	3. Chapter 2

**AN:** Okay, so here's the next chapter. Chapter 2 of the sequal. The second chapter in the sequal to The Fire Bearer, the next chapter in The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls... lol, sorry, I'm just rambling now :P well,I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. It was kinda long though, sorry bout that. I just didn't know where to stop so that I could move onto the next chapter until I got to that part at the end. Well, please keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing. Thanks!

The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter 2- Father

"No! No I'm not the Fire Bearer! I don't want to be the Fire Bearer! I'm Kagome! KAGOME!"

Her words were lost as she continued to go through the mirror, absorbing her words and making it harder and harder for her to move or do anything. She screamed one last time before she fell into the mirror, blinding lights surrounding her as she was shot through whatever portal this was. Other objects flew around her as well, white orbs, which she guessed to be other souls.

She cried silently to herself. Finally able to move, she curled into a ball, crying into her knees, not able to control her flight path at this point. She let the unseen force take her wherever it was taking her, giving up on fighting against it. She layed there, for what seemed to be forever, just moving along with being flying past her. Until, something happened.

She screamed, being hit hard from behind, knocked off of whatever had been holding her up, falling downwards. She clung onto something, but she couldn't tell what it was. Finally, she was able to get a good look at it, and it turned out to be a person. A man, actually. He had a single maroon stripe running down each cheek, a blue cresent moon on his forehead, golden eyes and long silver hair. She had seen him somewhere before...

She grunted as her back collided with something, the weight of the man on top of her nearly crushing her as he grunted as well. "What the hell is going on!" his deep voice boomed over the noise of their crash-landing.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but didn't have the time as they started to fall again, a flash of blinding light surrounding their bodies, leaving them falling again. She clung to him tighter, and he just pulled back and looked down at her, before he started to dissapear. Her eyes widened as she saw his arms dissapear, then his shoulders, and so on. "You're dissapearing!" she cried to him, her hands loosing grip as his entire middle body dissapeared.

"So are you!" he yelled back, and she realized that he was right. Her middle was gone, and it was spreading down her legs and up towards her arms. She began to scream again, until her mouth was gone, and she couldn't make any noise. So she just cried, until her eyes were gone, and she couldn't cry. And then... all of her was gone.

-------

"Ughhhh..." Kagome groaned as her eyes slowly opened. What the hell had happened? She felt like she had the worst hangover the world had ever seen. Had all that just been a dream?

She opened her eyes and looked around, only to find a very real situation. She was in a shrine, with wallscrolls, burning inscents, a broken vase, and a naked male lying next to her.

-------

InuYasha came running as fast as he could to Miroku and Sango, standing in the middle of the road and staring wide eyed at the shrine at the top of the village. "Did you see it?" he called as he neared them, Sesshomaru making his was as well.

"Yeah, we did!" they called back. "What was it?"

"What the hell do you think!" InuYasha yelled as he made his way past them, smiling and laughing lightly. "It's Kagome!" he yelled happily as he made his way, Sesshomaru passing them as well.

Sango gasped, dropping the basket she had been carrying and looking up at him. "Do you really think..." she couldn't finish as tears started to fill her eyes.

"There's only one way to find out," Miroku said, grabbing her hand and taking off for the shrine as well.

They reached it a good minute after InuYasha and Sesshomaru, a few villagers braving to come up the stairs of the shrine themselves. They panted lightly, stopping to catch their breathes as they walked up to InuYasha and Sesshomaru. They noticed the door still closed and stood there, confused at what InuYasha and Sesshomaru were doing. "You know your supposed to open the door, right?" Miroku asked, looking between them and the door, reaching out to open it.

"Stop," Sesshomaru said stiffly, raising a hand to Miroku, still looking at the door. "Someone's in there."

"It's Kagome!" Sango cried, reaching forward to open the door herself, only to be stopped by Sesshomaru again.

"No," InuYasha said as he started to growl. "Someone else."

Miroky and Sango looked exchanged a quick glance before looking back at them. "Do you think it's..." her voice trailed off, afraid to continue.

"No, don't worry," InuYasha said, shaking his head. "It's not him."

She sighed lightly, and let her muscles relax abit. "Good," she said. "But we still don't know who it is."

Sesshomaru sniffed a few more times before freezing. A confused look came over his face before he sniffed a few more times, his nose scrunching. "What is it?" Miroku asked confused.

"That scent... it's familiar..." he said, his voice trailing off lightly.

"How familiar?" he asked, unsure as to what he was getting at.

"Very... but it's.. different now," he told them. "It almost smells like-"

He stopped talking as they heard someone groan inside. InuYasha growled and drew Tetsuiga, ready to attack. "I don't care who it is!" he yelled. "They're dead!"

"Inu-" Miroku reached forward to stop him, but he was through the door and out of reach before he could grasp anything but air.

He had his sword raised high above his head, ready to bring it down on the body of whoever was in there. He froze as his eyes caught the sight before him. Kagome lay there, starch naked on the floor, groaning and looking at something behind her. But it wasn't really her anymore. At least, it was still her face, still her body, only with a few changes, inlcuding her scent. On top of her head, lay two triangular ears, black, with white strips running down them. Her hair also had white stripes running through it, standing out strongly against the deep black. Coming out of the shoulder blades on her back were two red wings, small, but still strong looking enough to carry her for a while over the ground.

Another person groaned, and InuYasha jumped lightly, turning towards the body behind Kagome. A figure slowly rose, muscular and fit, the body large in stature. Long white and black stripedhair parted to show two wings, the same as Kagome's, along its shoulder blades and two triangular ears perched atop its head. As it slowly stood up,the figure quickly revealed itselfto be a man.

"Stay where you are!" InuYasha cried as the others finally joined him.

"Save it, InuYasha," Sesshomaru said calmly, placing his hand on his brother's forearm, lowering it a bit.

He looked up at him in confusion, about to open his mouth before Sesshomaru nodded his head back towards the male. InuYasha slowly turned his head towards the man, watching as the hair fell out of his face, to show a maroon stripe running down each cheek, and a blue crescent moon on his forehead.

-------

Kagome watched the scene in front of her. She groaned lightly as she looked at the 4 people near the entrance, seeing the shadows of a few others lurking behind them past the doorway. Her mind raced lightly as she slowly, shakily got to her feet. Where the hell was she? Who the hell were these people? And why was she naked?

She gasped lightly, looking down at herself, realizing for the first time that she really was naked. She jumped, covering herself as well as she could, and pressing herself tight against the wall of the shrine, watching the others intently. Her eyes scanned every one of them, before looking at the man before her.

He was the same man as earlier, the one she saw in that... whatever it had been. Portal, she guessed you could call it. But he was different, with wings, dog ears, and red flecked eyes. Then she saw that he was naked.

Her eyes widened as she gasped again, pressing herself farther against the wall. She took a sharp breath through her teeth as she felt pain shoot through her shoulder blades. Then she felt something feathery pressed against her back. Her eyes were lost, almost looking far away as she looked over her shoulder, afraid of what she might see.

She gasped as she saw two red wings portruding from her back, pressed up against the wall. They were exactly like the man's, just big enough to carry her weight for a short distance, probably. She blinked rapidly, not sure if she was really seeing this. They flapped once, then twice, then three times, and she suddenly felt very tired again.

Kagome's eyes rolled back, and her leg's buckled under her as she fell towards the ground. The man jumped forward, catching her before her body before it hit the ground. He lifted her up, carrying her limp body bridal style.

-------

InuYasha's eyes widened and he almost dropped his sword, his body lurching forward lightly as he saw the man before him, the eyes looking back at him just as intently, gold with red flecks. "Like I said," Sesshomaru started. "It almost smells like father."

**AN:** YES! It's just become twisty! I loooooove when it's twisty! I hope you like it being twisty too! If you do, then please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! And I'll keep the twists coming. Thanks!

kagomes-wanna-be


	4. Chapter 3

**AN:** Hi ppl, I'm really glad that y'all are enjoying my story! Please tell your friends about it and keep on reviewing, thankies a bunchies!

(PS: Sorry bout the suspense)

The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter 3- Demon

"Like I said," Sesshomaru started. "It almost smells like father."

-------

He just stood there, holding this unfamiliar girl in his arms and staring at the two in front of him. Why did they look like him? They... they smelled like him too, he realized as he lifted his nose lightly, sniffing the air. He didn't understand what was going on, how did he get here?

He shook his head lightly, he'd have to wait for those answers another time. But more questions just flooded his mind as he pushed those away. He looked down at the girl, confused as to why he was holding her. Why had he caught her? Why did he feel like he needed to keep her safe, not let her hurt herself?

_'She smells like...,_' he thought as he leaned down and smelled her hair, recognizing the scent.

-------

They just stood there, eyes wide and mouths open. There was no way that could be InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father. He had died over 200 years ago! "That... that can't be..." InuYasha's voice trailed off, unable to finish.

"I'm afraid it is," Sesshomaru said as he watched the man, still looking at them.

InuYasha had to admit the resemblance. The hair, the eyes, and the smell were uncanny. Especially the crescent moon on his forehead, sticking out unmistakably. "No..." InuYasha said, shakin his head, not wanting to believe it.

"What's wrong InuYasha?" Miroku asked quietly, not sure what InuYasha meant.

InuYasha just stood there and shook his head from side to side, his fists clenched tightly together as he watched his "father". He saw him look down at Kagome with curiosity and he felt heat run through his veins, clenching his fists so tight his knuckles turned white and his claws dug into his hands.

"InuYasha..." Sesshomaru started, his voice stern and scolding, as though talking to a child about to do somethin bad.

InuYasha hardly heard him as he kept his eyes on Kagome and his father. He didn't understand why he was becoming so mad, but his body was heating up and his muscles tensing, like he was getting ready to attack. He had no reason to fight his father... even with Kagome in his arms like that... naked and...

When his father leaned down, sniffing Kagome's hair, he lost it. His sword dropping to his side, he lunged forward, his eyes bleeding red as he did.

Sango cried out, falling back against Miroku in surprise and fear. Sesshomaru, luckily, moved quickly, jumping and tackling InuYasha to the ground a second before he reached their father. InuYasha cried out, swinging at his brother, clawing at him for dear life, but Sesshomaru had too strong a hold on him and held him tight, his face on the ground. "Get them out of here!" Sesshomaru yelled to Miroku and Sango.

They stood there for a moment inshock before shaking themselves out of it, racing over to Kagome and Father(as they decided to call him for now). He growled lightly and held Kagome protectively to his chest as they neared, taking a step back. "We're not going to hurt you," Miroku spoke calmly as he watched Sesshomaru and InuYasha out of the corner of his eye, still fighting. "We just want to help you."

"Don't touch her," he said back, still holding her tightly.

They were suprised, this having been the first time they heard his voice since the came into the shrine. Sango shook her head lightly. "Fine, we won't," she said as Miroku pulled off his over robes.

"Just put this around her, please, you need to get out of here," he said, holding the cloth out to him.

He looked at it wearily as Sango looked around. Finally, she found what she needed and pulled off a blanket looking cloth from a nearby table. "And please, wrap this around yourself.

He stood there for a moment, looking from the two of them and the clothes, down to Kagome. He still didn't understand why he felt as though he needed to protect her, but didn't care for the moment. He looked over at the two males that looked like him, seeing them fighting, and recognizing great anger coming from one as his peircing red eyes glared up at them. He didn't have red eyes before.

Finally, it came back to him, and he remembered. The male was feeling as though his territory had been stepped on, and was turning into a demon to help fight for it. He didn't want the woman near this. "Fine," he agreed, grabbing Miroku's robes and wrapping them around Kagome before wrapping the other cloth around himself.

"Go!" Sesshomaru yelled again, struggling to keep ahold of his brother, not wanting to hurt him. It would be such much easier if it was just like it used to be, wanting to kill him, not just restrain him. He didn't exactly want to hurt him anymore, but he dug his claws into his arms to control him a bit more.

"Come on!" Sango yelled, grabbing his arm and running out with him.

They finally got outside as villagers stared at them, most starting to run away as they heard the growing fight in the shrine.

"Ughhhh..."

They stopped running, looking down to see Kagome start to stir in his arms. "Ugh... what's going on?" she asked quietly as she fought to open her eyes, her head pounding.

"Shhh... it's ok," he said, leaning down and nuzzling her face lightly.

Miroku and Sango looked at him like he was crazy, about ready for Kagome to kill him. But instead, she nuzzled back against him lightly, seemingly calm. "Ka...Kagome?" Sango asked as she stepped towards her lightly, reaching out a bit.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled lightly as she turned her head towards Sango, her eyes still closed. She took in a deep breath, her body seemingly relaxed as she lay in his arms.

"Kagome..." Sango said, putting her hand on her shoulder lightly, only to be growled at. She gasped, jumping back lightly.

The sudden jolt made Kagome open her eyes. "S... Sango?" she asked, sitting up lightly as she looked at her. She sat there for a moment in confusion before feeling the arms around her. She cautiously looked up, only to see two gold and red eyes looking down at her. Her eyes widened as she cried out, jumping out of his arms and landing on the ground.

She groaned lightly as she held the robes tightly to herself, crawling back away from him. He stood there a bit shocked with confusion written all over his face. Had he done something wrong? He didn't understand.

He stepped towards her, reaching his hand out, keeping the blanket wrapped around him, but was stopped as he heard a noise behind him. He turned around to see a demon InuYasha, standing there and growling at him, his teeth bared and stance eratic, muscles tense, ready to attack.

-------

After the others were out of the shrine, Sesshomaru picked InuYasha up, slamming him against the other wall. "Calm down InuYasha!"

"Where is she?" he screamed at him as he stood up again, his voice deeper and rougher then before.

"She's gone InuYasha," Sesshomaru said calmly. "There's nothing to worry about... she's safe, I promise."

"She's mine!" he cried out as he looked around the shrine frantically, jumping around and tearing down wall scrolls in his confusion, looking for "his" Kagome.

"No she isn't!" Sesshomaru yelled out to him, lunging for him again. He knew that he had to get the Tetseiga to him, but since he was full demon, he couldn't touch it. For now he could only try to restrain him, until someone else could grab the sword.

But when InuYasha turned around, he caught him straight across the face, his claws digging into the skin so far it scratched bone, sending him flying straight out the door and into the stone steps to the shrine.

InuYasha smirked as he made his way outside, standing at the top of the stairs. He scanned the ground of the village before he saw the others, the smirk wiping from his face. His eyes widened as Kagome screamed out, his blood boiling as she fell to the ground.

He looked up at his father, who had been holding her. But she was on the ground now. He must have dropped her. He had hurt his Kagome. He growled loudly as he jumped down the stairs, skipping all of them and landing a few feet behind them, his arms out and fingers spread, claws ready for attack. "Bastard..."

He lunged forward, attacking, but his father jumped out of the way, dodging his attack.His fatherturned his body just in time, catchingInuYasha in the back of the head and sending him shooting forward onto the ground, right into Kagome.

-------

Kagome screamed as she was thrown to the floor, a body colliding with hers. She looked up and was met with the stare of two pure red eyes, making her scream again. She was stopped as the person above her growled loudly. "Quiet bitch..."

Her eyes widened lightly in surprise and confusion. "InuYasha!" she cried out. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I said quiet bitch!" he yelled, lifting his hand and slapping her straight across the face, making her cry out.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him before growling lightly. "Bastard!" she screamed, slapping him. "Don't you ever hit me!" she screamed in his face, kicking him off of her.

"Bitch!" he snarled, lunging for her again.

He got met with her fist though, fire erupting around it as she slammed into his face. He cried out in pain as he fell back on the ground with a hard thud. He looked up at her in surprise, his face burned and bloody. "Don't you ever come near me again!" she screamed at him, wrapping Miroku's robes around her tighter.

He sat there for a moment, seeing the fear in her eyes. He didn't want her to fear him, he didn't want anyone to fear him. He looked around, and saw all of them looking at him the same way. Slowly, the red started to seep out of his eyes as he stood up, his hands shaking.

He looked up, and Kagome was still looking at him the same way, hugging the blanket tight to her chest, her mouth hanging open lightly and her bottom lip trembling. He clenched his fists tightly before turning and jumping, leaving the others and everything that just happened behind, not even bothering to take his sword or say goodbye.

**AN:** And there it is, chapter 3. I hope you liked it, and how it went, and how it was written, and blah blah blah... Yeah, so, anyhow. Plz review!

kagomes-wanna-be


	5. Chapter 4

**AN:** So... it's been a while. Yes, I am aware of this. I've been busy and... haven't felt like writing... at all. Sorry. But I'm back, and hopefully I'll be able to finish before I have another major case of writer's block. So, without further adue, here you have it!

The Fire Bearer 2- Seperating Souls

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter 4- Crying

Sesshomaru stared at his father with a blank expression. How long had it been now? Almost 200 years? 200 years since he had seen the man, since he had cared to see the man, and now he was sitting right in front of him.

He couldn't think of anything to say. What could he say? They had fought and argued over so many trivial things that Sesshomaru had since gone back on. He looked at his mate laying on a cot near him, sleeping evenly. He had been so against the idea of demons being with humans 200 years ago, and thought his father a fool, only to follow in his same footsteps. He had been naive then, so young. Now he needed to own up to his discrepencies.

He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the deep voice of the man across from him.  
-------------

She was out there in the rain somewhere. She wasn't too far, because he could still smell her over the husky scent of the rain. She was near and yet... not near enough. Someone so... fragile, so... beautiful, shouldn't be alone.

And yet, he knew she wasn't fragile. He could feel the burning of her aura whenever she was near, and it was alluring. Somehow he felt that burning in himself now. It truely felt as though a part of her had become a part of him, which it had. The monk had explained to them what had happened the best he could. Their souls were in the spirit world, her's in a special place, and his simply floating around and waiting for the process of reincarnation to take its place.

Their souls had crossed, intertwining until one was no different from the other. They were each other, not phsyically, but in essence. He couldn't know what she was thinking or anything like that, but they were connected on a level no one could ever understand. He could take in his scent and smell her's intermingled with it, as was the same with her scent. It was oddly fulfilling.

After the monk had explained this, she had left the hut and hadn't returned. It had been daylight then, and the rain hadn't started. She had barely spoken during the time she had been there; she had been too shooken up to do much of anything. She hadn't returned for dinner, or even for desert, but no one seemed to be worried. Perhaps this was something normal with her, and they were simply used to it by now.

His ears twitched in the direction of the sleeping forms in the room as his wings fluttered. Something else he now had in common with the girl. He was a Dog, and she was a Phoenix, and now they were a little of both. They were hybrid demons, of neither race. It made his blood boil at the thought that he was no longer as regal as he had once been, but it soothed him none of the less.

The only people left awake were himself and his eldest son, Sesshomaru. He didn't know what to say to him, it had been too long. They hadn't left the relationship on the best of terms, and he blamed himself. He had failed his son. He hadn't been there enough to raise him in the manner he would have liked, and he had become cold hearted and distant.

There was a tension between them, and he could feel it. He wanted to apologize for how he had been, and how he had practically given up hope on him ever changing. He had been wrong. His human mate was the evidence of the fact that his son was not at all as he had percieved.

"She's a lovely woman," he had told him, and he could hear the hitch in his son's breath.

Sesshomaru followed his eyes over to the sleeping form of Rin, sighing softly. "Yes... she is," he said, nodding his head before looking at the man again. "I never told you before... but Izayoi was a lovely woman as well."

Inu no Taisho's eyes turned to his son, staring at him for a long moment before nodding his head. "Thank you," he told him, and that was all that needed to be said. They both knew what they meant, they both could hear the long overdue "I'm sorry"s hidden beneath their words, and they no longer needed to continue.

Inu no Taishou turned his eyes back to the slit between the door frame and the flap of fabric that served as a door. He searched the limited amount of the outside for the girl, but the only motion came from animals still searching for places to escape from the rain.

Sesshomaru stared at his father for a long time, watching him never take his eyes away from the doorway. "There's a very complicated history between them."

"What?" Inu no Taishou asked as he looked back at his eldest song.

"Between InuYasha and Kagome," he explained. "There's a history that goes back even before the beginning of her life."

"Kagome... the girl..." Inu no Taishou whispered. He had heard her name many times, but not until now, in the middle of the night, coming from his lips, did he realize how perfect it was for her. "What kind of history?"

"A history of ever kind."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion. He had seen the interaction between the two earlier that day, and he wanted to know what had brought such a thing on. What was their story?

Sesshomaru stared at him for a long moment before sighing, shaking his head. "It's a very complicated matter and I don't believe it is my place to say," he said.

Inu no Taishou nodded his head, sighing. "I understand," he told his son. He looked outside again, and without another word got up and walked outside.  
-------------

Kagome sat in the Goshinboku, staring at the surrounding forest. Rain dripped down her face and body, and splashed whenever her lips parted to sigh or sob. He could smell the saltiness of her tears mingling with the earthy smell of the rain. It was a horrible scent, and he couldn't help but want to console her and make it go away. But he couldn't.

He walked over and stared up at her for the longest time. Even in the cold rain, heat radiated from her body, though he could only assume that it did the same from his own body. Her aura flooded the surrounding area, as though searching for something. He hid his so she'd never know he was there.

He walked forward and sat silently under the thick branches, directly under her. This was as close as he was going to get to her, and he knew it. He savored it. He held onto it and let it mull over in his mind and heart. This was as close as he was going to get to her.

This was as close as he was going to get to her...  
-------------

He was somewhere. In a forest somewhere. He couldn't be any more sure than that. He couldn't be sure of anything at the moment. His golden eyes were ringed red, and he felt like he could lose it at any moment. His mucles clenched and trembled, his claws randomly gauging anything around him- trees, bushes, the ground, maybe even a creature or two.

His mind was so mucked up that he didn't even know what he was. His feet moved without his permission. A cry escaped his lips as his foot caught on something, sending him crashing to the ground. He layed there, in the dirt, his foot throbbing and body shaking. But he couldn't move.

He clawed at the dirt desperately, as though it would show him the answer. He didn't even know the question. Turning over, he stared up at the cloud covered sky, expecting to see rain falling from it. But there was none.

He reached up to his face, wiping off his cheek before staring at his fingers. The dirt was mingled with something wet. His tears. He had been crying. What had he been crying about? He didn't know. He just didn't know.

He was something different. Different from what he had been, what he had wanted to be. Maybe he was exactly what he wanted to be.

His body was numb. He couldn't move. A shadow passed over him, but he payed no attention to it. Not until it had covered him completely. Eyes stared down at him, but he didn't move. He didn't want to. Not until the hands were around his throat and it was too late.

**AN:** And there it is. Isn't it lovely? I believe it's very lovely. I hope to update a little sooner next time. Winter break is coming up after this week, so I should have the free time to do it. I hope at least. Anyway, I'm done talking. But as always, make sure to read my other stories and enjoy this one. Bye!

kagomes-wanna-be

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 5

**AN:** So... it's been a while. Sorry about the huge delay. Hopefully now that it's summer time and I've got a bit of time on my hands I'll be able to keep up with it. Unfortunately I have camp starting next week, so it might still take a while, but they should be coming faster. Also, I JUST noticed that I've been separating wrong. How embaressing. Well I hope you guys like this chapter!

**The Fire Bearer 2-  
Separating Souls**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter 5:  
The Jewel****  
**

The rain had stopped halfway through the night, and Inu no Taishou had made his way back to the hut in silence just before the sun had risen. He didn't want to be caught sitting under the same tree that Kagome was in, especially when she had been so obviously vulnerable in her state.

When he had returned, Sesshomaru was still awake, but he didn't say anything. Though his father had been gone from this world for nearly two centuries, he didn't find it his place to reprimand his father for disappearing for the night. He also didn't think it right to ask where he had gone off to. He had a pretty good idea, but he knew it wasn't any of his business in the end.

Inu no Taishou hadn't moved from his position since he had gotten back, even now that the sun was rising. He left his head tilted back against the wall, his eyes closed, but not sleeping. How could he sleep with so much to think over? His son had attacked him over a girl that he didn't even know, and yet he still protected her from him. Worse so, he was apparently a part of the girl now, and she was a part of him. He was a dog demon AND a phoenix demon. He didn't know anything about phoenix demons or their powers besides the fact that they had disappeared years and years ago.

Why had that been? He wasn't sure if anyone had ever known. They had been a strong race - humans feared them greatly and demons wanted to take them over. Once they were gone, the only thing that had been done was celebrate. It was a tragic loss for the world, however. Inu no Taishou had never met any of the race, but they were noble and fought only when threatened or to help restore peace.

Demons didn't care, though. The majority of demons were selfish and low beings who simply saw the phoenixes as a interval to power. Humans were simply clueless and feared anything with powers that they themselves did not posess.

The phoenix demons had apparently not been lost, though. There was one - well, half a one - still alive. Alive again, rather. Had they finally started to return? Was she just the first of many? Was she the only one? If she was, then their race could rest peacefully knowing that they had the best possible candidate to carry on the blood. She was young, powerful, and beautiful.

His eyes slid open as the sun's rays flooded through the window and kissed his eyelids. He closed his eyes for another moment and just let the rays spread further down his body as the sun rose higher. It had been so long since he had enjoyed the sun on his skin, and it felt so good.

A sound across the room caught his attention, however, and he opened his eyes to see Rin sitting up, stretching in the morning sun. Sesshomaru sat on the edge of the cot and they exchanged their goodmornings, kissing gently. They pulled back from each others lips and she smiled up at her mate before turning her head towards his father. "Good morning Father," she said as she pulled off the blankets, sitting on the edge of the cot with Sesshomaru.

"Good morning," he responded, nodding his head towards her. He wasn't quite accustomed to the title they had given him, but he found it growing on him.

The paper door slid open as Sango and Miroku walked out of their room. "Good morning, everyone," they said, everyone exchanging greetings once again. The group had decided to stay at their hut for the night, to make sure that everyone was accessible had anything happened.

Sango looked around the hut, sighing gently. "Is Kagome not back yet?"

"I'm right here." Inu no Taishou's newly acquired ears stood straighter and twitched as he turned to see the dark haired beauty standing in the doorway, the sun lighting up her face through the window. "Sorry I didn't come back. I fell asleep in a tree."

Inu no Taishou's eyes squinted as he stared at her, knowing that she had lied. "Don't worry about it Kagome. You got back just in time for breakfast," Sango said as she walked over to the cupboards and began to pull out foods and spices.

"Oh, well then, I would love to help," Kagome said with a smile as she walked over to Sango.

Sango looked at her surprised. She had just transcended from another world and she wanted to help make breakfast. "No, that won't be necessary Kagome."

"Sango, I used to do all the cooking. Why wouldn't I want to do it now?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at her friend with a smile on her face. She knew that it would be hard for her friends to let her do anything, but she wanted to persist.

"Well... if you're sure."

"I am," she said, nodding her head as she took her place next to Sango.

Inu no Taishou watched the scene with interest. Kagome was an excellent actress, he decided. If he hadn't watched her crying for hours the night before he would have also fallen for her smile. He had seen her, however. But if she wanted to play as though there was nothing wrong at all then he would act as though he knew nothing was wrong as well.

Conversations began around the room, and occasionally he would be brought into them, only to take himself back out. He watched Kagome tentatively, following her every movement. The clothes that Sango had suplied her with were a bit too large on her, but the natural curve of her body was still clearly visible.

He looked down at the apparel that his son had supplied him with. They were white, as was nearly everything Sesshomaru wore, and they fit him well. Sesshomaru had grown to resemble his father greatly, and they were almost the exact same size now that Sesshomaru was almost the same age as his father. He was about 2 or 3 demon years younger, which averaged out to between 40 and 60 years for humans.

Breakfast was finished quickly, and everyone got a rationing of ham and biscuits. They gave their thanks before everyone settled down to eat. Kagome was placed next to Inu no Taishou and for a second was swpet up in her scent. He came back from his high after a moment and began to eat.

Sango woke up Kyoko and he came out to join them, taking his food grudgingly. He began to eat before looking up, stopping as he saw the two new faces across from him. "Who are you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Sango scolded him for his rudeness, but Kagome simply laughed. "My name's Kagome."

His eyes widened as he stared at her. "Wooooah. Really? My parents have told me stories about you before! Aren't you a powerful demon?"

She smiled as she looked at her friends before nodding her head. "I sure am. I used to travel all over Japan with your parents fighting evil demons and saving the world."

"With InuYasha, too?"

Kagome's smile faultered for a second and her eyes wavered before she nodded her head. "Mmhmm," was all she muttered before taking a bite of her buscuit.

The boy's attention moved onto the man sitting next to her luckily, and he tilted his head to the side. "And who are you?"

Inu no Taishou paused for a moment in his answer, not sure what to say. "I'm Sesshomaru and InuYasha's father," he stated finally.

"Really?" Kyoko asked, tilting his head to the side again. "But you don't look old enough to be their father. Maybe their brother or cousin or something."

He chuckled, smiling gently and nodding his head. "Yes, I am their father. You must remember that demons age much slower than humans do."

"Ohhhh," was all he said before he returned to eating. He finished much faster than the rest of them and went back into his room to change before heading out for the day.

Silence fell over them again before Kagome spoke again. "We need to go find him."

The group looked up at her in surprise. "Kagome... are you sure?" Sango asked. "Even after yesterday?"

"Of course 'even after yesterday'," Kagome said, slightly shocked as she looked at her friend. "He's still our friend Sango, and I think we all know that he has done far worse things than what he did yesterday." Kagome looked around at everyone and they all nodded their head gently. "Besides, someone needs to give him back Tetsusaiga before he kills everyone on the island."

Inu no Taishou simply sat there as everyone agreed. He knew what would happen if InuYasha didn't have his sword on him in battle - he was the one who had the sword made for him - but he had never witnessed it. Was that one of the 'far worse things' that his son had done?

"I don't think we should go yet," Sesshomaru chimed in eventually.

"Why not?" Kagome asked, her voice sharp.

"InuYasha's demon blood had started to recede before he left. I suggest that we wait a few days and see if he comes back himself. He's a stubborn bastard, but even he knows what will happen if he doesn't have his sword," Sesshomaru explained. "Plus, Kagome, I believe he will also return of his own volition to set things right with he. He has waited for ten years for you to return. I doubt that he will allow this to ruin his chance of being your friend again."

Kagome sighed, setting her plate down. Sesshomaru did have a point. "Very well."

"And you two did just come back," Miroku said. "You should give yourselves a few days rest before going on a possibly long and hard journey such as that."

"Yeah, we don't want either of you hurt," said Rin.

Inu no Taishou was slightly taken aback by everyone's apparent concern. Sesshomaru did have a point, but the rest didn't seem to take into account that they were two very powerful demons. It didn't take very long for them both to recover from anything. Though he did remind himself that it was human nature to worry and be concerned. It was a good trait, if not an annoying one.

"Can I have it back?" Kagome asked after a moment's silence. She looked up at Sango and Miroku expectantly. They knew what she was talking about.

They looked at each other for a moment before nodding their heads, Sango standing up and walking back into their bedroom. Inu no Taishou watched on in confusion, everyone's demeanor suddenly very serious. Sango walked back into the room and his breath caught gently as he felt himself pulse.

It continued, the feeling growing in intensity as Sango walked closer to them. She stood in front of them and he could barely stand it. Her clasped hands opened to reveal a broken pink jewel. Was that what was making him feel that way.

Kagome reached forward and picked up the jewel from her friend's hands, holding it between her two fingers. The jewel seemed to come alive at her touch, the inside of it turning to liquid and swirling around as though happy to see her.

He looked back at Kagome and could only see her smile as her eyes shown pink.

--

InuYasha groaned as his eyes opened, staring into the darkness. "Wha... Wh-Where am I?"

"I see that you've awoken," a voice said, a door opening and flooding the room with light.

InuYasha sucked in a hard breath, closing his eyes and turning his head. "What the hell is going on?" he growled out, turning his head to glare at the man again. He went to take a step towards him, only for his hands and feet to catch. "What the-" his voice caught as he looked down to see the chains that were binding him.

The man chuckled and walked up to InuYasha. "I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable, but I'm sure that you are aware of the necessity in restraining you."

His lips pulled back as he pulled against the chains. "Let me out of here you bastard or I'll rip you to shreds!" He growled dangerously, his fingers spreading as though he were trying to claw the man.

"Oh, but InuYasha, don't you want to stick around to see what's going to happen to you?" the man asked, smiling sadistically.

InuYasha pulled back slightly, glaring at the man. "What do you mean what's going to happen to me?"

"Well," the man started, holding his hands behind his back, "we're going to do a little experimenting together, InuYasha."

"Experimenting?"

"Yes," he said, the smile never leaving his lips. "And this world will be our testing ground."

**AN: **Ohhhh. It's getting interesting:D It's about time after this freaking long, huh? Like I said, I'm going to do my best to start updating this continuously. Until then, why not check out my other stories! I have a Death Note one now! Yay! Alright, well I hope to see you soon. Go, review, and be merry.

kagomes-wanna-be

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	7. Chapter 6

**AN:** Thanks for all the adds and reviews and such you guys! Please keep telling me if you like the story or even if you don't! Any sort of feedback is much appreciated:)

**The Fire Bearer 2:  
Separating Souls**

**kagomes-wanna-be**

**Chapter 6- Why We Fight**

It had been four days, and there was still no sight of InuYasha. Kagome was starting to become restless, going for walks or practicing with her fire. She was becoming angry at her abilities. They felt so weak compared to what they used to be.

It was all due to that dog demon. He had taken half of her soul, half of her power. Sure, she had gained half of his in return, but it was nothing that she was overly proud of. She could smell and hear better, her teeth were sharper and her nails were much longer, but that was it. That bastard now had her ability to use fire and sense others simply by their bodies essence.

The other's had noticed Kagome's growing irritancy, especially towards Inu no Taishou, and weren't sure what to do about it. There wasn't much they believed the could do. Kagome's soul had been played with so many times in her lifetime that it must have been hard to suddenly have half of it torn from her again.

She had screamed at him at one point, and more surprisingly he had yelled back at her. The group wasn't sure what had happened, but Kagome had screamed about feeling extremely weak and that it was all because of him, and he had returned with something about it not being his fault that she had to drag him back to life with her.

They had both left the transaction growling with clenched fists. From everything they had been told by Sesshomaru, his father was a gentle man, never raising his voice. He let out all his anger on the battlefield. It had been a shocking exchange and the two hadn't spoken to each other in two days because of it.

The group had simply come to the conclusion that with Kagome's soul came some of her personality traits, leaving Inu no Taishou with slightly less balanced emotions than before. If this was true then it would only be so long before their frustrations reached a head with one another.

--

Inu no Taishou sat in silence, leaning against the side of Sango and Miroku's hut. _'That girl is infuriating!' _he thought to himself with a snarl, his arms crossed and staring at nothing. _'She doesn't know how to hold in her temper and lets it loose on anyone she pleases. She needs to learn how to bite her damn tongue.'_

His eyes glared at a spot in the dirt as he thought of her. _'Not like it's hard to tell when she's angry either. Her eyes turn that ridiculously bright orange color, and I could have sworn that I smelt singed hair. She's going to light her own damn self on fire if she doesn't learn to calm down.'_

As his thoughts progressed, he didn't notice the orange seeping into his own eyes. The part of ground his eyes were focused on became nothing but a backdrop to his thoughts, something he saw but didn't recognize as anything.

__

'I'll have to teach her to control that someday. If she ever speaks to me again that is. Stupid girl, too frustrating for her own good.'

The smell of fire reached his nose and his ears twitched, being brought out of his thoughts. He blinked a few times as he stared at the ground, a small part of which was now on fire. Eyes widening, he cursed and moved his foot to stamp at the foot, quickly putting it out.

He sighed and leaned his head back against the hut, grumbling in annoyance. _'That's the second time that's happened already... I need to learn how to get this under control before I burn down an entire forest. I wonder if it ever happened to her when she first got her abilities...' _he tried to rid himself of his thoughts of her, but he couldn't. _'Probably not. She seems far to strong to have let such ridiculous things plague her.'_

A soft smile crept across his lips as his mind began to quiet down, his body relaxing as he began to fall asleep for a mid-morning nap. _'Her eyes do look nice when they're on fire though...'_

A sudden weight landing unceremoniously in his lap brought him out of his peaceful state. He looked around in shock before he saw a pair of chocolate and golden eyes, a growl forming in his chest.

"Come on," Kagome said simply, turning to walk away.

"And where exactly may we be going?" he asked as he stood up, gripping the hilt of the sword she had thrown in his lap.

"To spar," she answered him. "It's been quite a long time since you last battled someone, and it will do no one any good if you are rusty during our travels. We don't know who we may face."

He felt his anger flare and bit down another growl. "Are you insinuating that I can no longer protect myself?"

"Something like that," she said as she stopped in a clearing that she had led him to, spinning to face him. "For the most part I just want to know how well you're doing with your newly acquainted abilities."

"Better than you ever did, I'm sure," he retorted with a smirk.

Kagome's smile dropped as she glared at the man. He had no idea of her life or her achievements in her life previous to her death, how dare he make a comment such as that. She had killed the greatest threat to the survival of Earth in all of history, and he was mocking her.

"Ready?" she ground out, lifting her sword and getting into a fighting stance.

He raised his own sword. "For you?" he asked with a smile. "Always."

--

Sango and Rin entered the hut, holding stacks of newly dried clothing. They were laughing quietly to themselves as they set the stacks down onto a table.

"Hello girls," Miroku said as he walked out of the backroom, kissing Sango gently.

"Hey Miroku," Rin said, smiling at her friends as she began to fold the clothing.

Miroku returned her smile before looking around. "Where's Sesshomaru?"

"Oh, he went to hunt for dinner. He should be back in an hour or so," Rin explained. Miroku nodded his head, accepting the answer and began to help with the laundry.

They stayed silent for a moment before Rin looked up. "Hey, do you know where Father is? I haven't seen him or Kagome since last night."

"Well, I'm not sure where Kagome is," Miroku started, "but Inu no Taishou was just outside a couple of minutes ago. Didn't you see him?"

Sango and Rin looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, he wasn't there," Sango told him.

"Mom! Dad!"

They all turned their heads as Kyoko came flying into the room, stopping to catch his breath. "Kyoko!" Sango cried worriedly, running over to kneel in front of her son. "Kyoko, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Inu... Kagome... clearing... they..." he tried to speak between pants, but couldn't. They waited patiently for him to regain his breath before he finally continued. "Inu no Taishou and Kagome are fighting in clearing. And I mean really fighting! With swords and everything!"

All of their eyes widened as they stared at each other before standing to race out of the hut. "Kyoko, stay here!" Miroku called back to his son.

"And fold the laundry!" Sango called after him before the were too far away for him to hear.

They headed quickly into the woods, picking up on the sounds of battle quickly. Their legs carried them as quickly as they could to the clearing where the two were deep in the midst of battle. Sango and Rin were about to jump into the clearing to stop them when Miroku grabbed them. "Wait!"

"Wait? For what!?" Sango called out in dismay.

"Shh!" he quickly reprimanded her, speaking in a low voice. "Let's just watch them for a little bit."

"But why?" Rin asked as they crouched behind the brush surrounding the clearing.

"We don't know why they're fighting," Miroku explained. "For all we know it's just them messing around or having some fun. So let's just stay here for a bit and wait to see what they're doing. If it turns out that they might really cause some sort of damage to one another then we can intervene."

The girls looked at him wearily but eventually agreed, nodding their heads. All three of them turned their heads to watch the two as they continued their battle.

They were almost moving too fast for the three to keep up with, and yet they never lost each other. Their moves were precise and dangerous, and yet they managed to stay out of the way of each other's moves. Then it hit them.

"They're not trying to hurt each other."

"They're trying to scare each other."

"They're trying to impress each other."

Rin smiled as Sango and Miroku spoke back and forth. "They like each other," she told them playfully, biting her tongue.

"What?" they asked in shock.

"Oh come ooon," she drawled out. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, we all used to do it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Miroku said, shaking his head.

Rin sighed. "We used to fight with each other all the time before we got together," she explained. "Sango, how many times did you used to hit Miroku over the head with Hairakotsu? Or yell at him for stupid reasons?"

"It wasn't stupid!" she defended herself. "It was because he was a lecher."

"Either way, it doesn't matter," she told her. "Me and Sesshomaru used to get in ridiculous fights before we got together all the time. There would be times that he'd leave me at the manor and just go wander the lands for a week or more because he knew one of us would start yelling at each other otherwise."

"What does that have to do with Kagome and Inu no Taishou?"

"They're demons. They're not going to fight and bicker like we would. They have all their competitions on the field, not in the mind," she explained to them with a soft smile.

Miroku and Sango fell silent as the looked back out at the fighting two. It was true. Humans would fight and bicker, but never really say anything to hurt each other. They just wanted the interaction with one another. It made sense that demons would battle each other, but not actually cause any harm.

A sigh escaped Miroku's lips as he shook his head. "So it would appear that they are starting to gain some form of attraction for one another," he said. "But I think the real question is... who's going to tell Sesshomaru?"

Silence.

"Guys? ... Guys?" Miroku turned back to see that both his wife and friend were gone, groaning. "Oh come on!"

--

Kagome growled as he evaded another of her blows, becoming more frustrated. She jumped back and moved her sword away, holding her hand out. "Fire Strike!" she cried out, a ball of flame erupting from her hand.

The sheer weakness of the attack made Kagome growl in annoyance, her ears pressing down against her skull. Inu no Taishou quickly moved out of the way, taking a moment to stare down at his own hands. He wondered if he could do that as well, but decided to not even bother if his attack would be as weak as hers.

She brought her sword back in front of her and lunged at him, readying it to strike. He blocked her sword quickly, pushing it out of the way. "You forget that I have been training in the ways of the sword for hundreds of years," he said as she spun away.

"I'll still win," she retorted, striking forward again.

He smirked and swung his sword, beating hers down and grabbing at her arm. She gasped as he spun her around, pulling her back to his chest and wrapping his arms around her to restrain her. She gasped, her eyes widening as she struggled against him. "Let me go!"

He grinned and leaned down, pressing his nose to her neck before pulling back. "Very well," he said, letting her go.

She quickly pulled away, spinning to face him. Her heart pounded in her chest and she couldn't keep her face from flushing a bright red. She prayed that it merely looked as though she were flushed from battle.

They stared at each other for a long time before he handed her the sword he had somehow wrangled out of her grasp without her noticing. "I believe it is my win this time, Kagome," he told her.

All she could do was stare at him and try to keep the butterflies out of her stomach as he said her name. Grabbing the sword from his hand, she turned and quickly walked away, trying to get the gleam in his golden eyes out of her mind.

**AN: **I liked that chapter:) Some parts of it were sketchy, but for the most part it was good. I like trying to bring them closer together and I hope I'm doing it well. Tell me what you think!

Go, be merry, and review.

kagomes-wanna-be


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